Top Ten Queer Films
Gays, lesbians, drag queens . . . "queer" films explore gender and sexuality and are favourite TOP TEN Queer Films . . . there are so many great queer films to choose from, and many more films with great gay characters, but the criteria used to select the films on this list were:
a) films with queer character(s) who are central to the plot and are good role modelsb) films with overall positive messages about the queer community
c) films containing educational dialogue which attempts to explain the experience of being queer
1. Hedwig & The Angry Inch (2001)
Girlie boy Hansel Schmidt (Mitchell) undergoes a botched sex change operation to escape communist East Berlin and comes to America as Hedwig Robinson. Quickly divorced by her military husband and betrayed by her musical prodigy (Pitt) Hedwig spends the film examining whether she is male or female and attempting to find success in life and love. This is a film about discovering your identity, surviving when life hands you a raw deal, and accepting yourself despite the obstacles of gender.
2. Flawless (1999)
When homophobic police hero (DeNiro) has a stroke he turns to his drag queen neighbour (Hoffman) for cheap singing lessons to help his vocal rehabilitation. Both characters are forced to reassess themselves, their relationships and their prejudices. This film is about facing your demons and the personal growth that happens with acceptance.
3. The Birdcage (1996)
A gay couple (Williams and Lane) have raised a son who declares he wishes to marry the daughter (Flockhart) of a conservative politician (Hackman). Their home is above a gay drag nightclub that they own, manage and perform in and for the marriage to go ahead they believe they have to host their future in-laws whilst pretending to be straight. This film is a very funny comedy which deals with the hurt of being forced in the closet.
4. Stage Beauty (2004)
Set in the days where women were not allowed to act on stage and all the parts were played by men, this is based on the real life story of Kynaston (Cruddup) a gay man who has made a career from convincingly playing a woman in Shakespearian plays. The tables are turned when men are banned from playing womens parts and Kynaston discovers he does not know how to be a man in real life or on stage.
5. Kinky Boots (2005)
To stop the family shoe manufacturing business from going broke a naive young man (Edgerton) enlists the help of a flamboyant drag queen to design shoes for men who dress as women to tap into a niche market. This film promotes thinking outside the square and giving ideas (and people) who are different a chance.
6. Imagine Me & You (2005)
This is the cutest lesbian film you will ever see! When the bride at a wedding (Perabo) meets the florist who delivers her bridal bouquets (Headley) it is love at first sight. There is much dancing around the feelings and flirting with temptation as the bride tries to come to terms with her sexuality despite loving her new husband as a best friend.
7. Bound (1996)
And this is the coolest lesbian film you will ever see! A closet lipstick lesbian (Tilly) and a butch jailbird lesbian (Gershon) are neighbours who flirt and experiment while trying to outsmart the mobster boyfriend (Pantoliano). This film compares the credability of the two women according to whether they are out and shows how a lesbian relationship can go largely unnoticed.
8. Kissing Jessica Stein (2001)
When a highly strung young jewish hetero woman (Westfeldt) places an advertisement in a personals column a free-spirited bi-curious female (Juergensen) answers and they unexpectedly have a meeting of the minds and attempt a relationship. This film examines the difference between emotional and sexual connections and exposes how women short-change themselves searching for "perfection" rather than appreciating what they have.
9. Victor Victoria (1982)
A female singer (Andrews) finds herself out of work and out of money. She moves in with a gay friend (Preston) who convinces her to impersonate a drag queen - a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman - and the charade becomes a huge success in the local club. When a male love interest (Garner) enters the picture he is attracted to the drag queen, not realising she is a genuine woman, and is uncomfortable with people thinking he is gay. This film is an incredibly clever excercise in putting yourself in someone elses shoes to understand the prejudices they endure.
10. Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
This is the autobiographical tale of Harvey Fierstein as a young gay man looking for love and acceptance. The film chronicles the domestic relationships he has with his lovers (including Broderick) and his mother (Bancroft) in an honest and endearing way and is a MUST SEE for every gay man!
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